Can you damage your embouchure?

Overuse also has a major impact on the normal sensation in a player’s lips and face, which often feel numb or rubbery and make everything about playing feel strange and wrong. So it doesn’t take long before one’s healthy embouchure technique begins to degrade into a weak and unproductive system.

How do I get my embouchure back?

Here is a look at what I do to get back into shape.

1. First Daily Practice Session. Give yourself just as much off the face time as on.
2. Buzz on your mouthpiece.
3. Long Tones, Lip Slurs, and Scales.
4. Second Daily Practice Session.
5. Melodic Etudes.
6. Technical Studies and Etudes.
7. Warm Down.

Why is my embouchure so weak?

In overuse syndrome the embouchure is always too tired, sore, and impaired to compete physically with normal air pressure. To accommodate the discomfort and weakness in the embouchure, an injured player “lightens up” and backs away from using a strong stream of air.

What is embouchure dystonia?

Embouchure dystonia is an unusual focal task-specific dystonia affecting the muscles that control the flow of air into the mouthpiece of a brass or woodwind instrument. The complexity of the embouchure and the relative rarity of the condition pose barriers for recognition and management of the disorder.

How long should you wait after eating to play trumpet?

Wait 30 minutes after eating before playing to neutralize your mouth’s pH levels. This in effect renders your saliva a lot less volatile on the reeds. You can also rinse your mouth with mouthwash to loosen particles on the teeth.

What causes embouchure collapse?

For most brass players, diagnosis with focal dystonia signals the end of their careers. This is a far more common cause of embouchure collapse. As the name suggests, embouchure collapse may be caused by “overuse”—or in simple terms, playing “too much.”

What is embouchure in music?

The embouchure is the purposeful arrangement of the facial muscles and lips to produce a sound on a wind or brass instrument. In brass playing, it involves vibration of the membrane area of the lips.

How is embouchure collapse diagnosed in dystonia?

Embouchure collapse caused by focal dystonia can be diagnosed medically; embouchure collapse caused by embouchure overuse, however, is generally speaking not considered to be a specifically medical issue.

What are the most common trumpet embouchure myths?

This is perhaps the most pervasive trumpet embouchure myth. It is also one of the most common cause of embouchure troubles for many brass players. It is true that a lot of brass players will find that placing more top lip inside the mouthpiece works best, but equally as many players play much better with more bottom lip inside.